宠爱
chǒng ài · HSK 7
to dote on sb
🐱💕 宠 shelter/pet + 爱 love = pet-love, showering someone with affection
宠 originally means to favor or pamper (also the word for pet animal). Combined with 爱 (love), it describes lavishing someone with excessive fondness — treating them like a treasured pet you spoil rotten.
宠 — roof 宀 + dragon 龙
宠 combines the roof radical 宀 with 龙 (dragon), suggesting a dragon kept under one's roof — something treasured and favored. The traditional form 寵 uses 龍, where 龍 also hints at the sound. The meaning evolved from 'to favor' or 'dote on' to the modern senses of 'pet' and 'spoil'.
爱 — 爫 (claw) + 冖 (cover) + 心 (heart) + 夂 (slow walk)
Originally written 㤅, showing a heart 心 with breath above, depicting deep feeling. The modern form adds 夂 (a slow-walking foot) below, suggesting reluctance to leave a loved one. The traditional form 愛 keeps 心 inside; simplified 爱 drops the heart but retains the meaning 'love, cherish'.